


Parent Trap

by best_of_pjo



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Jason Grace - Freeform, Love, Oneshot, Original Character - Freeform, jasper - Freeform, parentau, percabeth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:34:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29027295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/best_of_pjo/pseuds/best_of_pjo
Summary: Percy wasn’t expecting to find a girlfriend soon,  so why is the perfect one right in front of him?ORPercy’s a single parent in New York and he might just have a crush on his daughter’s teacher.
Relationships: Jiper - Relationship, jasper - Relationship, percabeth - Relationship
Comments: 5
Kudos: 86





	Parent Trap

“Ophelia?” Percy yanked the purple sheets off of the bed, his frown deepening when his daughter was still nowhere in sight. “Baby, where are you?” 

“Here!” she squealed, popping her head into her bedroom. Percy let out a sigh of relief. She was dressed in her favorite t-shirt, a brand new pair of jeans, and some shoes that his mother had recently bought for her. 

He walked over to the door and lifted her off the ground, holding her tight to his chest. “I was worried! Who knew you’d get dressed by yourself?” 

Ophelia rolled her eyes. “I’m a big girl now. I’m already this many years old!” She held up five chubby fingers proudly, raising her eyebrows to show she meant business. Percy smiled and kissed her on the cheek. 

“I don’t care. You’re still my baby girl.” 

She giggled, pressing her cheek against his head. To be honest, Percy was a bit emotional. It felt like just yesterday he’d been bombarded with this newborn child he’d previously known nothing about, and now he was sending her off to kindergarten. 

Five minutes later, they were running out of their tiny New York apartment, attempting to be on time for her first day of school. Ophelia dashed towards the stairs the moment Percy opened the door. He yelled for her to return as he locked the door, but of course, she had to be as stubborn as him and keep running. 

He ran after her, a princess-themed lunch bag swinging on his arm. “Wait!” he yelled. He caught a glimpse of her black locks of hair headed out towards the street, which resulted in his vision tunneling in on her. Before he could reach his daughter, something else blocked his path. 

“Ow!” 

Correction; someone else had blocked his path. 

“Hey, watch it!” Percy cried. Usually, he was not a man of confrontation, but he was very worried for his daughter and could not think straight. The woman he ran into glared at him, her gray eyes piercing into his soul. 

“You’re the one running like a child.” 

He scoffed. “No, I’m trying to save my child. Now if you would excuse me-” He continued to leave the lobby of the apartment building, silently hoping that the woman was only there to visit someone. He wouldn’t be able to stand having a neighbor as bitchy as that. 

“Papa?” Ophelia’s preferred name for Percy ever since she’d heard a child on a telenovela call their father by that name.

Percy’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head as his daughter smiled at him sweetly, her eyes large and innocent as she gazed at him from her spot beside the building. 

“You can’t run out on the street like that!” he reprimanded. “You could be kidnapped, or get lost, or, I don’t know…” 

“I am going to be late for school,” she complained. Percy sighed. She probably hadn’t even been listening to his lecture. He took her hand and they continued on their journey to her school. 

As they approached the building, his grip became tighter and tighter on her hand. He scouted out the little boys, seeing which ones could possibly be future threats to his perfect dynamic with his daughter. 

They’re children, the rational side of his brain reminded him. Percy shook his head. That’s what they wanted him to believe.

Ophelia turned to him, her smile widening. “I’m going to miss you, papa.” He tickled her stomach. 

“Liar,” he replied. “You’re going to make a million friends and forget about me.” She laughed, he pouted. She reached her hands up, signaling for him to lift her up. He did, holding her so that they were eye-level. 

“Love you,” she said, kissing his cheek. Percy grinned softly. How had he been blessed with such a beautiful and loving daughter? God definitely had favorites, and his daughter was one of them. She shined like a star, carrying her positive energy everywhere she went. 

“I love you more, Ofi.” He hugged her one last time before allowing her to stand on the ground once again. “Have fun at school, and be careful! I’ll be here to pick you up when it’s over.” She giggled, because for some reason, she found everything hilarious. She then waved at her father for the final time before turning around and running inside the building. 

Percy sighed. And so it begins. 

;;;

“Jackson, late again.” 

Percy rushed to the lobby of the station, throwing on one of the weighted jackets on the rack. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I had to take Ophelia to school today and I guess I miscalculated with time...” 

His lieutenant waved him off. “I understand, kids come first. Just don’t let it happen again, got it?” Percy nodded. He hurriedly joined his squad members in washing the firetruck, which was apparently their task for the day. 

Percy’s dream had always been attending academy and becoming a firefighter. Luckily, he had the best mother in the world, and she often took care of Ophelia so that he could work towards his goal. Additionally, his lieutenant and squad were all extremely supportive and compassionate, so they covered for him a lot. 

“Trouble in paradise?” asked one of said squad members. Jason Grace, one of Percy’s closest friends from his workplace, sent a smirk his way. Percy shook his head. 

“Kids are exhausting, man.” 

“So I hear.” Jason scrubbed the firetruck harder, lowering his voice as he continued,   
“my wife’s pregnant.” Percy froze, slowly turning his head to face his friend. 

“No way.” 

“Way.” 

Percy’s face broke out into a huge grin, but he refrained from hugging him since they were under strict supervision. “That’s amazing! How long has it been?” 

“Two months,” Jason replied, his face glowing in a new way. “Piper’s nervous, but I can tell she’s pretty excited. We both have our dream careers, so it’s all perfect timing.” Percy smiled. Although his daughter had come at a vulnerable time--specifically, when Percy was twenty-two years old, without a well-paying job, and completely unaware that he’d gotten his one-night stand pregnant--he was still very grateful for Ophelia. She was the light of his life, truly, and it brought him joy that his friend would get to bring new life into the world at a perfect time, in perfect circumstances. Jason and Piper were both twenty-seven and very much in love, and Percy knew that their child would be another angel on earth. 

“My God, this is great,” Percy said sincerely. “If you guys need anything, you can call me.” 

“I know.” Jason smiled. “I hope I can be half as good a dad as you are.” Percy’s lip quivered. 

“You’re trying to make me cry at work.” 

“I’m serious!” 

They laughed. Percy had no doubt in his mind that Jason would be the best father ever, and he was so lucky to be able to see it happen. Soon, it was the end of the day and Percy began to head back towards the school to pick up Ophelia. 

He was happy for Jason, ecstatic, in fact, but he couldn’t shake off a certain image from his head. He recalled how his friend’s face had lit up at the mention of his wife. Percy tried to picture what it would be like to be married, letting another woman into his life besides his daughter. How would she react to it? 

It didn’t matter, he decided, because how many twenty-seven year old girls would want to date someone who already had a child? Percy finally arrived at the school, his eyes stopping on a particularly joyful five-year old. Ophelia’s gaze fell upon him, and she dashed straight into his arms. 

“Papa!” she squealed. “School was fun!” 

Well, I’m glad one of us thinks so. 

“That’s great, princess!” he replied. “Come on, let’s go visit grandma.” She smiled hugely, nodding her head in agreement as she reached for his hand. Percy brushed the black hair from her eyes and decided right then and there that if he were to bring a woman into their lives, she’d have to be extraordinary. He wouldn’t permit anything less for his daughter. 

;;;

A week later, Percy was leaving the apartment building when he spotted a head of familiar blonde curls. He felt like he was deflating. 

Apparently, the universe hated him. The woman he’d ran into on Ophelia’s first day of school lived in the same apartment building as them; in fact, Percy had seen her three times since their first encounter. She had the courtesy to avoid eye contact with him, and he followed suit. 

He didn’t want to know who she was or how close her apartment was to his, he just wanted to forget the day they’d met. See, Percy was a people-pleaser. He couldn’t stand the fact that he had to live in this awkward state of tension with his neighbor. 

It got so that Percy memorized the sound of the woman’s high heels as she rushed inside the building everyday after he picked up Ophelia from school, so he’d begun to take his daughter to the park at that time. It was a great way to spend time with his daughter and avoid the scary blonde. 

Later in the day, Percy rushed to pick up his daughter from school after a long shift. He was delighted to see her smiling face as she threw herself in his arms. 

“Papa!” she squealed. 

He squeezed her, his eyes shutting. “Hi, baby. How was school?” 

“Fun! Today we painted and ate dinosaur nuggets.” Percy wished his daily agenda resembled hers. 

“That’s great! Are you liking your teacher?” 

Ophelia nodded. “Miss Chase is very nice! She lets us play on the playground a lot.” 

He grinned. He’d yet to meet Ophelia’s teacher, but he was happy his daughter was in the hands of a seemingly caring adult. She tugged on his sleeve as they began their path to the nearby park. “Dad?” 

“Yes?” 

“Will you come see the fishes with me?” 

Percy frowned. He was all for viewing fish, but he was confused with his daughter’s statement. “You mean...at the lake?” 

“No. Miss Chase told us three parents need to come to see the fish. Will you come, Papa? Pleeasee?” 

Oh, Percy thought. A field trip. They need chaperones. 

“Of course,” he replied happily. “Did Miss Chase give you a paper for me to sign?” Ophelia nodded excitedly, twisting around to unzip her backpack. She pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “I’ll sign this when we get back home, and then you can take it to school tomorrow, alright?” 

“Okay!” 

As Ophelia played at the park, Percy envisioned himself on the field trip with her. She’d mentioned fish, so he assumed they were going to an aquarium. It was perfect; Percy had always been fascinated with the sea. In fact, he used to consider becoming a marine biologist. 

He was excited to go, and he was also happy to finally meet Ophelia’s teacher. He glanced across the street and watched the blonde woman enter the building, a coffee in hand. He sunk into the park bench, praying she wouldn’t notice him. 

;;;

It was the day of the field trip, and Percy was prepared with two paper bag lunches, a water bottle, and an extra wide smile because he got to miss a day of work. Ophelia was excited to drag her dad onto the yellow school bus, but they barely made it in time to catch up with the class. 

“Is this bus two?” he asked the driver, who only grunted in response. Percy took a seat next to his daughter, exhausted from their adventure. He quickly fell asleep, his head falling against the dirty bus seat. 

In what felt like an instant, Opehlia was tapping on his shoulder, pointing out the window and crying, “look!” Percy’s eyes fluttered open. He gazed out the window, noticing a large building and a sign that read: Wilbur’s Aquarium. The children on the bus were chattering loudly, which was a rude startle to Percy’s waking. 

In a matter of minutes, the school bus was parking by the building and dozens of screaming children ran towards the entrance. Percy was being pulled by his own child, who unfortunately inherited the impatient tendencies from him. 

“Hold on, Ofi,” he said once they were inside. “I have to check in with your teacher. Let’s wait here.” 

She pouted. “But I’m ready to see the fishies!”

“Me too, but we have to wait.” She crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. “Don’t be sassy with me. It’ll only take a few minutes.” Percy turned around, searching the crowd of approaching adults for anyone who looked like a teacher. Unfortunately, everyone looked just as stressed and confused as he did. 

Finally, all of the adults were situated and reunited with their ansty children. A voice from the back of the crowd asked for the kids to line up for attendance, but Percy was too far to see her. He could only recognize a woman’s voice, but it seemed very familiar. 

The kids were then released to their parents, and the trip officially began. Ophelia ran into the lobby of the aquarium, her eyes widening at the sight of the gift shop. Percy’s wallet groaned. 

“Fishies!” she cried, running to the nearest tank. It was a large one; engraved into the wall and filled with bright-colored fish. 

“Don’t touch the glass!” Percy pleaded. “You’ll scare them.” His daughter didn’t seem to hear. He audibly sighed, causing someone behind him to laugh and say, “would it make you feel better if I told you she’s a pleasure to have in class?” 

He slowly smiled, turning around to respond to the nice comment. His heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach. The woman’s eyes grew in fear. 

She was the woman from his apartment building, his unofficial rival. How bad could his luck possibly be? “You’re Mrs. Chase?” he exclaimed. She frowned. 

“Miss Chase, and yes, I am.” Percy wanted to die. 

“This should be fun,” she said, brushing past him to catch up with Ophelia. 

;;;

Percy took deep breaths as he gathered his courage. He approached Ophelia and her teacher, who were admiring the fish tank in the lobby. “Hi,” he said shyly. 

“Papa!” his daughter squealed. “Did you see the fishies? Did you see Miss Chase?” Percy glanced at the woman, who stared at Ophelia with a smile on her face. 

“I did,” he replied. Ophelia was immediately distracted by the yellow fish, and he took the opportunity to lean into her teacher. “Hey, I just want to say I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t have to apologize,” she said, her jaw tightening. “I love Ophelia, and I’m not going to be rude to her just because we had a bad encounter.” 

Percy frowned. “No, that’s not why I’m doing this. I’m sincerely sorry for how rude I   
was, and how I’ve been avoiding you instead of owning up to my mistake like an adult.” She slightly narrowed her gray eyes, giving him a squirmish feeling as if he were being analyzed. 

“Alright,” she said finally. “I’m sorry, too.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Really?” She nodded. “Well, I’m glad we can move past this. I’m Percy, by the way.” 

Her gaze softened. “I’m Annabeth. How are you related to Ophelia?” 

A fair question. Percy was grateful for her neutral tone, but he could see the curious look in her eyes. She was wondering whether he was her brother, cousin, or possibly father. 

“I’m her dad,” he said shamelessly. Sometimes, the title of the young dad earned some accusing or dirty looks, but Annabeth didn’t seem bothered. If anything, he noticed a new light shine in her eyes. 

“It’s really sweet of you to be here with her,” she said. “Most parents try to avoid these things as much as possible.” 

Percy let out a laugh as his face flushed. “Well, my boss is pretty understanding. Besides, I couldn’t let her down.” Annabeth opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by the tour guide. 

“Alright, guys!” The young man spoke in a forced high-pitched tone, clapping his hands together to get the kids’ attention. “Are we ready for our tour?” 

“Yeah!” screamed the children, though Percy doubted they even knew what a tour was. The man gestured for them to follow him, and Annabeth smiled at Percy apologetically before joining her students. 

;;;

After the tour, it was lunchtime. Percy and Ophelia dug into their ham sandwiches as they gushed about the sharks and sea turtles they’d seen. After a few minutes of conversing, Annabeth approached their table. 

“May I sit here?” she asked. Percy glanced at her, his eyes wide. 

“Uh, yeah,” he said, quickly standing up to drag in a chair for her. “Yeah, take a seat.” She smiled. 

“Thank you.” 

“Hi, Miss Chase!” Ophelia greeted, waving with her sandwich in her hand. “Why are you here?” 

“Ofi!” Percy scolded. “That’s rude.” Annabeth laughed. 

“Oh, it’s fine. She’s just curious.” She turned her attention to the little girl. “There’s not many parents my age except for your dad. I thought maybe it’d be fun here.” Ophelia nodded along. 

“Are you and Papa friends?” 

“Well, I-” 

“Because grandma says that he should make a girlfriend. You can be his, right?” 

“Ophelia!” Percy interrupted. He was sure his entire face was red. He could barely look at Annabeth, though she seemed to be enjoying his embarrassment. “I’m so sorry. She doesn’t quite understand the concept of things that are socially acceptable to say.” 

Annabeth was laughing, and he couldn’t help but notice how her smile was bright enough to light up a room. “Ofi, your dad is embarrassed.” 

“What?” the young child asked. “What is that?” 

“It means he feels uncomfortable because no one was supposed to know that.” 

“Oh.” Ophelia wrapped her arms around her dad. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t want you to be sad.” 

Percy didn’t feel any less embarrassed. “It’s okay, baby. I forgive you.” 

She went back to devouring her lunch, and Annabeth struck up a conversation with Percy. He found out that she was twenty-seven, just like him, and that she’d originally planned on being an architect before realizing she loved teaching. He told her about his past ambitions to become a marine biologist. 

“I have a question,” she asked. “Is Percy short for anything?” 

“Perseus,” he replied. “My mom has always been obsessed with Greek mythology.” She nodded. “How about you? I’ve never heard a name like Annabeth, before.” 

“Short for Anna Elizabeth,” she said. “But I’ve gone by Annabeth for as long as I can remember.” He couldn’t help smiling. 

“Well, I think it’s pretty.” 

And honestly? Her name wasn’t the only thing he found pretty. 

;;;

The good news? Percy was no longer forced to avoid Annabeth by taking Ophelia to the park everyday. The bad news? Ophelia was now accustomed to going to the park every day, and her dad was a sucker for her puppy-dog eyes. 

And it wasn’t that Percy was eager to see his neighbor or anything, but he did await their routine glance at each other while he was across the street at the park and she was entering the building. She’d almost always smile and send a small wave his way. As the end of September and beginning of October approached, occasionally a cold breeze would blow through the streets of New York, and he would be lucky enough to witness Annabeth’s daily smile with a red nose and beanie. 

“Papa?” Ophelia asked one day after Percy’s gaze followed Annabeth. 

“Yes?” he responded, turning his full attention to her as he resumed to push her on the swing. 

“How come you and Miss Chase say hi everyday?” 

She noticed? 

“Well,” Percy began, “we’re neighbors, and she’s your teacher. It’s polite to say hi.” She didn’t seem convinced. 

“But you don’t say hi to all of our neighbors. Only Annabeth. Why is she special?” 

His cheeks blossomed with red. He wished he could blame it on the cold, but he knew the truth: his daughter observed way too much for her own good.

“She’s my friend.” 

“No,” Ophelia challenged. “I talk to my friends. We say more than ‘hi’. Are you scared of Miss Chase?” 

“No!” Percy said, his tone a little too desperate to be sincere. “No, I’m not scared of her.” 

She hummed. “Maybe you can ask her for a playdate! Or you can watch cartoons together! Or you can color. I color with Tyler and Julia, and we are friends.” 

Percy grimaced. Tyler. The five-year-old boy who planned on stealing his daughter’s heart one day, he knew it. He was currently Enemy Number One.

“Okay, maybe Miss Chase and I can...watch cartoons together.” 

Ophelia clapped once, a wide smile spreading across her face. “Yay!” 

;;;

Percy didn’t like breaking his promises, especially with his daughter. And while he didn’t technically promise her that he would befriend Annabeth, he thought it was the perfect excuse to do it anyway. 

He spent all day trying to figure out a way to contact her. It was nearing the middle of October, and he figured that a month of waves and smiles was enough. He needed to make a move. 

On his way home from the grocery store, Percy was so distracted thinking about Annabeth that he bumped into someone in the lobby of his apartment. 

“My bad,” he said immediately. An exasperated sigh left the mouth of a person he knew, and before he could even process what had occurred, Annabeth was shaking her head and grinning. 

“I'm beginning to think you do this on purpose.” 

“Oh my God, this is so embarrassing,” he said. 

“It’s fine,” she assured, waving him off. “You seem distracted. Is something wrong?” Percy couldn’t help but blush. 

“Um, I was actually looking for you.” She raised an eyebrow. 

“Oh? And why’s that?” 

“I just want to be a bit braver than waving to you from the playground.” She laughed, which caused some of the tension to leave Percy’s shoulders. “What would you say to a cup of coffee?” 

She pretended to ponder on the idea. “I’d say it might be perceived as unprofessional to be seen with my student’s father.” 

“Would it be unprofessional to be just friends?” 

Annabeth blinked. “I suppose not.” He smiled. 

“So...coffee? Uptown, of course.” She tried to bite her lip to hide her growing grin, but Percy caught it. It was the most uplifting thing he’d seen in a while. 

“I’d love that.” 

;;;

“I’ll be back by seven,” Percy promised as he kissed Ophelia’s head. 

“Don’t worry, Papa!” she said. His mother rounded the corner, a kitchen towel on her arm. 

“We’ll be baking cookies and watching cartoons, you don’t need to worry about getting home early.” He smiled gratefully before she continued, “have fun on your date!” 

“Mom,” he whined. “It’s not a date, we’re just friends.” Sally grinned, though the sparkle in her eyes indicated that she wasn’t convinced. Percy hurriedly left the apartment, not enjoying the knowing stares he received from his mother and daughter. He took a deep breath and started on his way to the train station. 

;;;

For the first time ever, he was early. 

Annabeth was already sitting at a booth, staring out the window. Her curly hair rested on her shoulders, her gaze following a bird perched up on a tree. Percy couldn’t help it. He smiled. 

“Hey,” he said as he approached the table. She perked up, surprised by his voice. 

“Oh, hey,” she laughed. “Sorry, I got a bit distracted.” He sat down across from her and told her that it was okay because she was cute when she was distracted, which earned a blush from Annabeth. Percy felt a strange stirring feeling in his stomach. He hadn’t liked anyone like this in such a long time, it felt almost foreign. 

“So, Miss Chase,” he said with a smile on his face. “What do you want to know?” She leaned her elbows on the table. 

“Everything.” 

;;;

They started with the easy stuff; highschool memories, favorite TV shows, professions. It wasn’t until they got to talk about college that Percy became nervous. 

“So,” Annabeth said. “College must’ve been quite the time, huh?” He blushed, knowing that she was talking about Ophelia. She immediately back-peddled. “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. I’m sorry I brought it up.” 

“No, it’s fine,” he assured. “She was...well, I didn’t even know the girl was pregnant. Her name was Cali, I think. I’m honestly not sure. It was just a one-night stand. A year later, she came to my door with Ophelia and said she couldn’t take care of her. I was twenty-two and had just entered the academy to become a firefighter, but I obviously didn’t want to abandon my baby. My mom’s incredible, though, and she’s pretty much the reason I got through all of this. She takes care of her as much as she can.”

Annabeth listened carefully. When he was done, she said, “that must’ve been heavy for you and the mother. You’re really great to have taken the baby like that.” 

Percy scratched the back of his neck. “Thank you. A lot of people were mad at Cali, but I don’t blame her. We were young, and she was desperate. I just wish she could’ve given me a heads-up before…” 

She smiled and reached for Percy’s hand across the table. “From what I’ve seen, you’re an amazing dad. Ofi’s really lucky to have you.” He felt his heart bursting. For some reason, he had the sudden urge to cry. 

“Diddo,” he said. “She loves you as a teacher, you know.” Annabeth blinked, her eyes falling to their joined hands. She released his. 

“Right.” 

He suddenly remembered their situation. “There’s probably a policy against teacher’s seeing their students’ parents, right?” 

She laughed, the light returning to her eyes. “Yup. Something about favoritism.” 

Percy nodded. “Then I guess we’ll have to be friends until Ophelia becomes a first-grader.” 

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. “That’s eight months away. Think you can manage?” 

His heart raced against his chest. “Yeah, I’m in this for the long run.” 

;;;

October passed and Percy’s feelings for Annabeth blossomed into something he couldn’t control. Ophelia had no idea of what was going on between her father and her teacher, and he intended to keep it that way. There was no need for Annabeth to get in trouble since they weren’t technically dating, and his daughter had a habit of running her mouth. 

“I’ll be with Jason,” Percy called out as he headed towards the door of his mother’s New York apartment. Sally just shook her head and waved, shooting him a knowing look from the kitchen. So yeah, maybe Percy had briefly mentioned Annabeth to his mother. It didn’t mean anything. 

“Bye, bye Papa!” Ophelia said, smiling hugely. He returned the gesture before leaving the building and rushing to catch his train.

;;;

“Hey,” he said breathlessly as he plopped himself down on the park bench. It was irritating that Percy had to venture so far just to go on a park date--er, meeting-- with Annabeth. 

“You’re here,” she noted, setting down her book. It was colder than usual, and her beanie sat crookedly on her head. “I was worried you’d flake.” 

Percy smiled. “On you?” He fixed her beanie, trying to dismiss the fact that the look of her face was adorable. “Never.” She couldn’t help but mimic his grin. 

“Come on, lover boy. I’m taking you out for ice cream.” 

;;;

Soon it was nearing the end of November, and Percy wondered if he and Annabeth could ever move on from dates uptown and secret waves to each other from across the street. 

He picked up Ophelia from school, his arms wide as his daughter jumped into his embrace. 

“Papa!” She planted a sloppy, wet kiss on his cheek. “Miss Chase said she needs to talk to you.” He frowned. 

“Did you get in trouble?” 

“No. The papas and mommas are meeting with Miss Chase next week.” 

Percy nodded. He usually hated parent-teacher conferences growing up, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t mind attending this one. His gaze flicked upwards, landing on Annabeth. She was leading a small child to their parent, a dazzling smile on her face. He sighed. 

;;;

“Welcome,” Annabeth said, opening her door wide so Percy could enter. Aware of the parents behind him, he politely nodded and followed her lead. The room walls were covered in artwork and colorful posters. There were bean bag chairs everywhere. Percy considered mentioning the chairs to his co-workers. Once they were in the classroom and situated, his face broke out into an uncontrollable smile. 

“So, how have the meetings been?” 

She gritted her teeth, keeping her voice down. “Terrible. But you’re here now, so that kind of makes up for it.” 

Percy’s heart did a backflip. “Are you flirting with me?” 

“There’s no audio in the classroom cameras,” she said lowly, somehow keeping her expression neutral but kind. “Your move, Jackson.” 

He blushed. “I think we should stick to talking about Ophelia, Miss Chase.” 

“Why? Scared you won’t be able to resist for the next few months?” 

Percy wasn’t too proud to admit the truth. “Yes,” he replied. “I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.” 

She narrowed her gray eyes, and he felt transparent. Finally, she said, “Interesting.” He laughed. 

“That’s all?” 

“I guess I underestimated you.” 

He scoffed. “Understandable. I am quite amazing. Most can’t believe the lengths of my superiority.” Annabeth scrunched her nose. 

“I take back what I said.” 

Percy laughed again before standing up. “I should go. If I stay too long, the other parents may think Ophelia’s a troublemaker.” 

Annabeth agreed, standing up as well. “Besides, how else will you restrain from proposing to me?” 

He raised an eyebrow. “Who said anything about marriage? I was just thinking a kiss could be nice.” 

Her eyes widened, but her smile gave her joking tone away. “That’s what you’re waiting for? Seven more months of agony just for a kiss?” 

Percy wanted nothing more than to grab her hand and bring her close, but he remembered the cameras. He smiled. “Not just any kiss. It would have to be from you.” 

Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest. “And they say romance is dead in our generation.” 

He looked away from her eyes. He had to minimize his blush before he left her classroom. “Ah, yes. Forbidden love, a classic.” Annabeth opened her door, waving goodbye to Percy as he walked through the hall filled with parents. 

“It was nice meeting you, Mr. Jackson!” she said. 

“Same to you, Miss Chase.” 

;;;

Christmas passed, and Sally was becoming impatient. 

“If you don’t ask her to be your girlfriend soon, she’ll find someone else,” she warned. Percy only smiled. 

“You’re wrong. We’re in this for the long run.” 

;;;

And they were. 

Percy and Annabeth continued to meet in secret. They hid from parents whenever they saw them uptown, or they made up lies. Ophelia was clueless to the situation, and her school year was nearly over. 

“You know,” Percy said one day as he and Annabeth circled around the streets of their city. His hands were masked with gloves, as were hers, and he wanted nothing more than to grab her hand and intertwine their fingers. “We could technically date in secret. We just have to meet in private places.” 

She scoffed. “Like where? Our shared apartment building in which half of my students live at?” He frowned. 

“I see.” A smile stretched across his face. “Hey! You didn’t say no to dating.” 

Annabeth’s eyebrows knitted together. “Not now, Percy. We have to be patient.” He sighed. 

“I know, I know,” he said. “Long run, right?”

;;;

Perhaps one of his worst ideas was to walk to school with Annabeth and his daughter. They were all laughing and smiling by the time they arrived at the school, and it just so happened that the elementary school principal was doing his rounds, checking up on all of the students and staff. 

He was a big, beefy man, but Percy almost didn’t notice him approaching. When he did, he stood still. Annabeth froze, her smile disintegrating. 

“Mr. Hill,” she laughed nervously. “Good morning.” 

“Miss Chase,” he greeted. “May I have a word with you and this young man?” 

Percy’s heart started racing. He kissed Ophelia’s head and told her to go to class. She   
blindly obeyed, unaware of the tension of the situation. Mr. Hill led Annabeth and him to one of the main entrances, then swiftly walked to his office. They followed him with their heads hung like school children. 

“Have a seat,” he ordered once they were inside. Percy and Annabeth did so. “Do either of you want to explain what I just saw?” 

She panicked. “It’s not what it looks like, sir! See, I live in the apartment building right down the street, as do many of our students and staff. Percy and I happened to leave at the same time, and since we’re…” she glanced at him, “neighbors, we decided to walk together.” 

Neighbors, he thought bitterly, that’s an understatement. 

The principal scoffed. “Well, you two seemed very happy to be walking together.” 

“I swear she was just being polite,” Percy promised. Mr. Hill narrowed his eyes. 

“You’re aware of our policy that restricts teachers from dating family members of their students, correct?” he asked. “If the child is still in our classroom, it is prohibited.” 

“I’m well aware,” Annabeth assured. “I would never do anything to jeopardize my career.” 

The man sighed. “Very well. I must’ve ministerpretated the interaction.” 

Percy’s heartbeat slowed. “If that’ll be all, may I leave? I’m running late to work.” 

He nodded. “Yes, that’s fine. Sorry for the bother.” Percy only smiled and waved to the principal before rushing out of the school. He turned the corner and let out a huge breath of relief. That’d been a close call. 

;;;

Valentine’s Day passed and all Percy got was a harsh lecture from Jason at work and a small wave from Annabeth as they entered their apartment building. It was a good day. 

;;;

Soon it was March, and Percy was very much Annabeth-deprived. He couldn’t risk talking to her too much at Ophelia’s school, and he was even afraid to ask her on lunch dates after their incident with the principal. It wasn’t until his desperation creeped up on him like a crawling bug that Percy began to formulate a plan.

Annabeth was peacefully walking through the halls of their apartment, unsuspecting of his soon-to-be ambush. Percy watched through the peephole, knowing she usually left around this time to do some grocery shopping on Wednesday nights. He pushed his door open and whispered-shouted, “hey! Hey, Beth!” 

She turned, her lips pulling into a frown. “Percy? What are you doing crouched by your door like that?” 

“I wanted to talk,” he said, glancing around. Annabeth nodded, carefully inspecting her surroundings before deciding it was safe. She rushed into his apartment, quickly shutting the door behind her. 

“Okay, I’m here,” she said. “What’s up?” 

He smiled. “I missed you.” 

Annabeth blinked. “You made all this fuss...for that?” She didn’t wait for him to respond. “Hey, where’s Ophelia? If she sees me here-” 

“She’s with my mom,” he interrupted. “I just brought you here to make sure you hadn’t forgotten about us.” She sighed. 

“I don’t break my promises.” 

“Well, neither do I.” 

She took a step closer to him. “So where does that leave us?” 

Percy suddenly found it very hard to breathe. Only then did he realize his height difference compared to Annabeth. He could crane his head downwards and kiss her right now if he wanted to. He could wipe that obnoxious smirk right off of her face with one impulsive action. 

He slowly leaned in, his lips leaving their invisible trail of fire on Annabeth’s forehead. 

“It leaves us in the exact same place,” he whispered. 

“Three months can be a long time,” she said, not meeting his eyes. “Not to mention we’d probably have to wait to make things official after summer. Are you sure you’re okay with that?” 

Percy bumped his nose against hers. “We’ve already survived through five months of this, we can do it again. And besides, you’re worth waiting a thousand years for.” 

;;;

And it sure as hell felt like a thousand years. 

After a few excruciating months of agony, it was summer. Percy and Ophelia took a trip to Disney World for two weeks before she started first grade. His heart was hammering by the time he picked her up from her first day back at school. 

“Baby!” he cried. “How was school?”

Ophelia had a familiar response of pure joy and curiosity, but at the end of her explanation, she said, “and since I’m a big kid now, you and Miss Chase can finally be boyfriend and girlfriend!” 

Percy frowned. “What did you just say?” 

“I’m a big kid now because I am in first grade.” 

“No,” he sighed. “The part about Miss Chase and I being boyfriend and girlfriend?” 

Ophelia giggled. “Grandma says you should make Miss Chase your girlfriend. I think so, too. She is pretty and nice.” 

She has a point, Percy thought. He shook his head and took his daughter’s hand. Why had he created such a meddling young lady? 

;;;

Exactly two hours later, Percy was once again taking his daughter’s advice. He stood in front of Annabeth’s door, a bouquet of roses in his hand. 

She opened it before he could even knock. “Percy.” 

He grinned. “I guess we beat the long game, huh?” Not a second passed before Annabeth was throwing herself into his arms and laughing as he returned the embrace. Holding her wasn’t good enough; he wanted their souls and bodies to merge into one. He settled for wrapping his arms around her tightly. 

She was the one to pull away, but only enough to hold his face in her hands. “You’re incredible.” 

“Why thank you very much, Miss Chase.” He offered the roses to her shyly. “Is this too much?” 

Her face was so close to his that he could feel her eyelashes flutter every time she blinked. “No,” she said. She leaned in and planted a slow kiss on his anticipating lips. Percy kissed her until his lips were swollen. 

“Annabeth,” he said, dizzily drinking in the fact that this wasn’t a dream. “Is it crazy that I fell in love with you before we even kissed?” 

She slowly smiled. “I hope not, because I fell for you a long time ago.” His grin was so big that he didn’t think he could kiss her again, but since this was Annabeth, he made it work.

**Author's Note:**

> hi! if you’d like more content like this, please leave a comment and a kudos!


End file.
